Chapter 5: Shadows on the Staircase
Clara shoved the leather notebook into the deep pocket of her apron. She had to find Ethan immediately. The dinner would be ending soon; she could intercept him in his study before he went upstairs.
She slipped out of the master suite, the long, dimly lit hallway feeling like the belly of a beast. The floorboards creaked under her weight, sounding like gunshots in the oppressive silence of the mansion's upper floor.
She hurried toward the grand staircase, her hand clutching the rough fabric of her apron over the notebook. As she reached the top step, the lights in the foyer below suddenly snapped off, plunging the staircase into near-total darkness.
Clara froze.
From the shadows below, the slow, rhythmic sound of footsteps began to ascend. Click. Pause. Click. The unmistakable sound of Victoria’s heels.
Clara took a step back, but a cold, firm hand clamped onto her shoulder from behind, emerging from the dark hallway she had just left.
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"Going somewhere, Clara?" Victoria’s voice whispered directly into her ear, laced with a terrifying, breathless excitement.
Clara spun around, but Victoria was too fast. The heiress forcefully shoved Clara backward. Clara lost her footing on the edge of the top stair, her arms flailing wildly in the dark as she tumbled backward into the void.
